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“Your name is Amelia Darcy?” one of them asked, pen poised above his notepad.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“And what do you do for work?”
Well, this was it. She couldn’t lie to the cops, so her and Leo’s house of cards would soon come tumbling down. At least they weren’t going to be accused of stealing millions of dollars—or dozens of clients—from Fred Goodhew. She answered honestly, and a long while later, she was released from the room where they’d interviewed her.
Leo, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened and came for her. “Everything good?”
“I think so.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She gave him a small smile. “Are you?”
“Haven’t you heard? I’m a hero.” He grinned, and Amelia’s heart turned over. He was so handsome when he smiled, and when that smile was pointed directly at her. His hand coasted over her cheek, knuckles brushing her skin. “You’re a lucky woman.”
“Hey! I did all the work. I should be the hero. Andyou’rethe lucky one, mister.”
His grin softened. “Don’t I know it.”
They walked to their room, and Amelia took the opportunity to take a shower and wash the sweat and crud and blood off her body. She stood under the spray and let out a long breath.
It was over. Cora had been discovered, and Ari had been exposed. Leo and Amelia were safe from false accusations. They had one more night of supposed team building, and then this whole debacle would be done.
As Amelia dried herself off and wiped the steam from the mirror, she stared at her reflection and realized she was sad.
Did this mean her relationship with Leo was over too?
Dinner was an interesting affair.The mood was a weird bubble of subdued excitement. Fred and Nadia both made an appearance, with Nadia’s ring firmly on her finger once again. They both made a point to thank Amelia and Leo, which Leo appreciated.
He felt guilty for lying to everyone about having a fiancée, but he was in too deep now. If he came clean when Fred was still angry about Cora and Ari’s betrayals, there was no doubt in Leo’s mind that he’d lose his job. When Vanessa had admitted that Ari approached her about joining his new company, Fred had looked like he wanted to fire her too. She hadn’t come down for dinner.
This job was the one thing he was good at. If Fred fired him, Leo didn’t know what he’d do. Maybe if he just made it through this retreat—just one more night and one morning—he could figure out his next move when things weren’t so volatile.
“Mm,” Amelia moaned, wiggling on her chair as she took a bite of roast chicken. “This is incredible.”
Leo couldn’t help stealing a glance at her. It wasn’t just sweets that put that look of bliss on her face. She dipped another bite of chicken into the jus on her plate and closed her eyes in ecstasy when it touched her tongue. Leo was half-hard just watching her.
“The mashed potatoes are unreal,” George agreed from across the table, reminding Leo that now was definitely not the time to be lusting after his fake fiancée.
A waiter appeared between Leo and Amelia, refilling her wine before moving to Leo’s other side to fill his. As the meal progressed, the tension slowly dissolved and conversation flowed more freely.
It was Amelia who finally broke the silence on this morning’s drama. She turned to Nadia and asked, “How does it feel to have the ring back?”
Nadia let out a small gust of breath and smiled at Amelia. “So, so good. I can’t thank you enough.”
Amelia beamed. “I’m just glad we found it. Leo was the real hero.” She jabbed him in the ribs for emphasis, which made him laugh.
“How did you figure it out?” Nadia asked, even though Amelia had been over the story a million times already.
“I heard the silverware clinking in her bag!” Amelia laughed. “If only I’d realized sooner.”
The conversation grew in excitement, and Amelia beamed at all of Leo’s coworkers. A bit of worry slipped out of him. Maybe everything would work out. After the retreat, they’d go back to regular life and all this madness about thieves and betrayals would be over. He could focus on work—and on Amelia.
Once they were out of here, he’d be honest with her. He’d tell her that he’d fallen head over heels for her, and he couldn’t live without her. He’d get a place in Stirling and use it as his home base. He’d come back here between jobs, and ask Fred to give him Ari’s old territory, which would have him home more often. He could show Amelia how much she meant to him.
“We’re going to celebrate tonight,” Nadia proclaimed. “Right, Fred?”
